


A Drip of Faith

by xserenity



Series: JayDick Week 2017 [8]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Capes, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Angst, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, supply run gone wrong
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-06
Updated: 2017-10-06
Packaged: 2019-01-09 16:42:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12280428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xserenity/pseuds/xserenity
Summary: "Dick shoved his way into the front and watched as one by one, people filed out of the cars. There was one, two, three, and four…There wasn't a fifth. This morning, they had left with five, five damn bodies and yet, there was only four. And the one person he was searching for, the one face his eyes longed to see, was not among them."





	A Drip of Faith

**Author's Note:**

> JayDick Week Day 5 - Bruised and Bloody

 

Dick slithered his way into Jason's arms, pried them open as he curved to fit neatly against his body and buried his face in his chest. He sighed dramatically, titled his head up to press gentle kisses to Jason's jawline. Felt Jason fold his arms around him, hands at his waist and trapped him in a tight hold as they cuddled lazily in bed. 

Light filtered into the room through the tiny window opposite of their bed, signaling that it was time to rise and shine. But the two were too busy enjoying each other's companies to care, decided to give it a few more moments before they really got to work.

"I just want to stay like this all day," Dick murmured and lightly trailed his fingers down Jason's chest as he drew sluggish figure eights. 

Jason chuckled, soft and scratchy from the sleep that accumulated overnight. Ran a hand down his back, felt how rough and callous his fingers were as he made his way over the swell of Dick’s bare ass. Jason squeezed it gently, nails digging into his taut skin and earned a breathy gasp from Dick as the man curled a leg around his lover.

Jason chuckled and threaded his fingers through Dick's tussled bed-head. It was wild and all over the place—something Jason often liked to dub as his sex hair look. "Too bad we can't." 

"I know," Dick breathed, distressed as he pressed his lips to Jason's collarbone. "I just—it's  _hard_." 

"Yeah." Jason agreed and pecked his forehead. "But well—" he trailed, thick fingers slipping away from Dick's ass to grip his waist, hard and bruising and pulled his lover to straddle him as he laid flat on his back. "How about we—" Jason smirked and rolled his hips, thrust up against Dick as his semi-hard cock slipped into the crevice of Dick's ass.

" _Mhm_ ," Dick murmured with pleasure and pressed his palms to Jason's chest, propped himself up as he settled comfortably over Jason. "Sounds nice." Dick teased and leaned down to snatch Jason's lips in a kiss fueled with passion. "Energize you for the day?"

"Yep," Jason grinned and pushed up once again, stimulating his lover as his tip brushed his soft entrance. Dick moaned obscenely and Jason caught it in a kiss, swallowed it whole to hush his whispers. "Might want to be quiet since its morning and people are already out." Dick just rolled his eyes at that comment.

The couple fell into a passionate morning as they lay together in a heap of sweaty tangled limbs and sheets strewn about.

\-----

Dick and Jason filed out of the cabin that they called their home and entered the streets of their community — a safe haven that they built to protect themselves from the living dead; reanimated beings that they called zombies that were rapidly overtaking the world's population. Monsters that were mysteriously brought back to life due to some bizarre virus, that fed on the living and ate them, bit them and turned them into one of their own. They roamed about, traveling in herds mindlessly through the cities, towns — they were _everywhere._

From the start of the apocalypse and up until now, they've just been surviving in whatever way they could. The world had gone to shit and their future was grim and dark with no hope in sight. To make the most of their fleeting time together, they made a promise to spend every moment together, as much as they could. Because life for them could end in the blink of an eye and that wasn't due to them being pessimistic. It's because they've seen it happen, they've witnessed many of their friends dying, unable to _save_  them. And it was grueling to watch knowing that they couldn't do anything.  _Nothing._

So they lived life one minute at a time, tried not to think of the future as they relished in the present.

Slender fingers found its way towards Jason's, linked their hands together as they walked over to the courtyard. There was a small flock of people crowding the supply room that housed the camp’s equipment. Mainly tools that were used when they went on supply runs to gather food and necessities to replenish their stock.

Dick sighed softly under his breath. “You’re on the team today, right?” Dick murmured, sapphire eyes fluttering upwards to peek at Jason, found him gazing back at him with a strained expression.

Then he blinked away the distress and reached an arm out to press a hand down on his hair. “You got a strand sticking out,” he said and threaded his fingers through, attempted to brush and tame the mess. “Should have  _maybe_  held back on the pulling,” Jason teased, lowered his voice to a deep and sultry whisper.

Dick rolled his eyes, but felt a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. “But—“ he purred and licked his lips. “I  _like_  you pulling my hair.”

Jason scoffed in amusement, trailed his hands down to his neck and dipped in for a kiss. “ _Sure._ ” He grinned and kissed him again before he schooled his expression into one of urgency. “On a more important matter, I am going with the group today.”

Silence fell upon them like a blanket of snow, slowly building up until it seemed almost impenetrable. A wave of anxiety washed over Dick and he felt overwhelmed at the thought of Jason going out there, where those  _things_  were at. He never liked it when anyone, any of his friends went on a supply run,  _especially_  Jason. There were too many factors, so many ways that could terribly wrong go and he knows it. Had experienced it when others did not make it back home.

Why could he never feel whelmed? Well, easy answer to that. The damn zombies that’s what. While the dead were among the living he could never feel whelmed, could never have a peace of mind.

Sapphire eyes stared at Jason, an expression of anguish coloring his face. Dick huffed a breath of air. “I don’t like it,” he faintly whispered. It’s not as if Dick himself hadn’t gone on a run because he had, but typically they always went together. Kept an eye on each other to ensure their safety, but this time around, Dick wasn’t allowed to come. He tried to argue; however, the camp reasoned that Dick needed to stay behind and help care for the people while they were gone. Considering he was one of their leaders – a  _good_ one at that. One who people trusted.

He couldn’t very well dispute against that even if he wanted to. Wanted to be selfish and stubborn for once, but Jason talked him out of it.

Jason abruptly stopped in his steps and twirled his lover around to face him. He released Dick’s hand to cup his cheek, swiped a thumb under his eye as he held his gaze. “I know,” he murmured painfully. “ _I know_ , but it’s something I have to do. I’ll be fine.”

That didn’t assure him one bit and he drew in a shaky breath, his chest beating irregularly due to the unease he was experiencing. Could feel his hands shaking at the thought of Jason not returning, a slight tremor rippling through his body. To put it simply, he was  _afraid_. Dick didn’t doubt Jason’s skills, knew him to be one of their best fighters and yet, there was always that bit of fear lurking in the back of his mind. That if just one mistake was made, Jason could be dead. And really,  _any_  of them could be dead.

“You—“ Dick warned, gritting his teeth in anger. “You make  _sure_ you come back to me.” And he closed the short distance before them as he threw himself at Jason, pulled him into a crushing hug, full of desperation and fear.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be back, I promise,” Jason said and returned the hug, kissed his cheek as a good luck charm.

After having their brief talk, Jason and Dick filtered into the crowd, blending in behind as the group leader for today’s excursion, Roy Harper, explained their route and the places they would be hitting. The two listened with earnest, made sure that every single detail was embedded into their memory.

\-----

Jason and the team made up a group of five; a good number of people to quickly go out, loot and come back, hopefully without any issues. They had quickly suited up, prepared with gear, weapons and necessities, took two cars and left for the day. 

Dick had retreated back to his room, tried to calm himself while he waited for their return. However, it wasn't helping one single bit. Not when the anxiety was rapidly bubbling within Dick, was on track to burst at any moment. He was becoming restless, pacing back and forth in their small space, and slowly burning away the rubber soles of his shoes. Dick was having trouble keeping his mind straight, couldn't stop himself from imagining different scenarios, all ending terribly wrong. He needed a breather, a distraction. It felt like he was going crazy holed up in their cabin.

It didn't help that everywhere he looked, he could see Jason. Could remember how his touch felt this morning, large sweaty hands roaming all over his body, touching every nook and cranny as Dick clawed at his back, left a trail of marks as they wrestled one another. As Jason pounded into Dick, fast and hard, bringing him to the brink of pleasure and then slowly calming him back down.  

Okay, he desperately needed fresh air and bad. Dick slammed the door open and stepped out, sucked in a large breath as he breathed in the spring flowers, squinted his eyes as the sun sparkled, obscuring part of his vision. At least the weather was nice and he could maybe bask in that, helped increase part of his mood. As he strolled about in their tight community, he ventured to the little garden and found one person that could possibly help him; a small figure that was crouched in the fields, just the tip of his head popping out over the bushes of crops.

"Hey," Dick greeted as he approached the young teen.

Damian, his adopted younger brother paused his actions and turned to look at his visitor. "Ah, Grayson," he mumbled in a tone filled with disinterest, glanced at him briefly before he returned to fiddling with the plants.

"What are you doing?" Dick asked, crouched down beside Damian and followed his line of sight. He watched as his brother watered the crops with a small pail in hand, pretended to be interested in what he was doing. Though Damian wasn't born yesterday and took notice immediately, was able to read past Dick's faulty air of intrigue.

"Cut to the chase," he said loud and clear, didn't spare him another look. "I know you didn't come here to just chit chat like you typically do." There was a sharpness to his word, but as he continued to speak, a hint of concern worked its way into the young boy's voice. "Is there something bothering you?"

"Just you know—" Dick shrugged and made weird hand gestures at Damian as if he could simply read him from just that. But he could since knew his brother all too well.

"Is it about Todd?" He asked and finally looked at him, emerald eyes gazing with a bit of concern reflected in them.

Dick sighed in desolation and nodded. "Yeah."

"He's on the supply run today, isn't he?"

"Mhm," Dick confirmed and Damian grunted in response. The young teen settled his water pail on the ground, rose to his feet and brushed the dirt off the edges of his pants. Dick mimicked his movements, stretched out taller than him considering Damian was only thirteen.

"So," Damian paused and folded his arms across his chest. "You need a distraction." The young boy simple stated and grinned in amusement. He knew all too well what Dick was trying to fish for.

"Yep." And he didn't deny it either.

"Then we shall play a game to pass time," Damian said and started forward, leaving the fields.

"Oh?" Dick quirked a brow in interest as he followed after his brother. "What kind of game?"

"I just made it up so you will be my test-subject." 

"You make it sound like you're going to experiment on me," Dick teased as he ruffled his hair playfully and got his hand swatted.

"It is a  _form_  of experimentation." A mischievous grin found its way onto Damian's face and Dick suddenly felt a tad concerned of what he had just signed up for.

\-----

The game ended up not really being much of a game. It was actually just them doing chores and the 'game' of it was the fact that it was turned into a competition of who could finish the fastest and the neatest. Damian had roped in a few others to help him, like his friends Jon and Collin. Honestly, it was just a way for Damian to get his work done since he was on duty for a few things.

Dick ended up spending most of his day helping the boys clean. The work was tedious but it kept him busy which was what he wanted. He enjoyed himself and had fun messing with the boys, joked with them and told them stories about adventures he had in the past with Damian. Nothing that exhilarating, but they were amusing stories like Damian's first day at kindergarten which was a fun one to tell. The young boy got flustered and kicked him in the shin to shut him up.

He was even able to work up a sweat, was focused on meticulously filing equipment away. It helped keep his mind off what-if scenarios of Jason's well-being which was a  _godsend_ ; simmered his anxiety and kept it low. 

Dick was occupied by his job, slowly shelving away cans of food when suddenly, the sounds of the front doors opening rang through the camp; could hear people yelling that the group had arrived home. Dick snapped his head in the direction of where all the ruckus was coming and immediately dropped what he was doing. Swiftly, he rushed out of the pantry room, quick on his heels as he strode past the crowd of people swarming the cars as they pulled in.

Having zero patience, Dick shoved his way into the front and watched as one by one, people filed out of the cars. There was one, two, three,  _and four…_

There wasn't a fifth. This morning, they had left with five,  _five_  damn bodies and yet, there was only  _four_. And the one person he was searching for, the one  _face_  his eyes longed to see, was not among them. Dick sucked in a heavy breath, tried to remain as calm as he could. He needed to evaluate the situation before he judged, but quite honestly, it was already laid out for him in plain sight.

It was evident to Dick that Jason was not with them. The seats of the cars were completely void of any bodies, only stuffed with supplies they had found. Sapphire eyes glowered intensely at the group and quickly took in their appearance. Could see how each one of them were covered in dried blood, specks of red littered across their clothes and bodies. They definitely had a run in with a herd, of what caliber Dick did not know, but it would explain the blood shed on them. 

When Dick's gaze fell on their facial expression, it didn't make him feel any better. They were brooding, eyes filled with dread, lips turned into a frown and they all looked devastated. Add to the fact that whenever Dick tried to catch their attention, they immediately avoided his gaze and he knew—instantly knew that they were ashamed. That something happened to Jason and he was most likely dea—

Dick shook away that thought, cleared it of his assumptions even though the answer was clear as day and he could read it in their body language, but he had to stay calm until he confirmed everything though it was hard—hard to stay optimistic with how some of them were on the verge of tears or that some were already crying, tears rolling down their blood stained faces.

But he had to ask. He had to know and he had to hear it for himself. "Where's Jason?" Dick murmured and swallowed down his fear, could hear the slight tremor in his voice indicating how unstable he was. His hands were sweating, clamming up and he was struggling to keep himself whole. Didn't exactly want to break down in front of everyone.

Silence filled the air as no one spoke a word, could only hear the slight shuffling of people around them, squirming and fidgeting. Dick could see the gears rolling in their eyes, as they all were trying to think up the best way to break the news to Dick. And he was growing impatient, needed to know desperately. Vivid blue eyes narrowed, glaring as Dick propped a hand to his hip and squared his shoulders, silently demanding an answer. It could have been anything, a nod or a grunt and yet, all he got were crickets. So he started again, breathed in and out slowly and in a sharper tone, asked once more. " _Where. Is. Jason?_ " He enunciated each word, hoped that his anger had gotten across this time.

He could see them scrambling, alarmed at Dick's reaction and quickly exchanged glances as the four shared a silent conversation. Probably debating on who should be the one to tell Dick. He tapped his foot, impatiently waiting and when no one said anything yet again, he finally decided to plead. 

"I  _need_  to know," he spoke and hoped that they could hear the desperation in his voice.

And finally, someone decided to brave Dick and tell him.

"He's—" Roy, the leader of the mission for the day spoke and paused for a moment as he breathed a sigh, fluttered his eyes shut before green orbs captured his gaze. "I'm...sorry Dick, but Jason is...dead."

Dick drew in a shaky breath and curled his fingers into tight fists. He was so—he just—he didn’t know how he felt. A wave of emotions hit him hard in the gut, dread washing over him as it filled the nooks and cranny of his entire being. The blood flowing through his veins pumped faster and faster, tightening his chest and restricted his breathing.

“I—“ Dick stuttered, his breath coming in short bursts, chest rising and falling dramatically. He was having a hard time breathing. “Did—“ he murmured and changed the question. “Did you see him go down?"

The members exchanged looks among one another as brows arched in curiosity, seemed unsure of themselves.

"I don't think we did," Roy said and took a moment to think before he reiterated his statement with a firm, "No."

Dick heaved a long and heavy sigh, pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to calm his fears. "Then he's not dead," he mumbled, wasn't convinced at all by his own statement or Roy's. If—If they didn't see him go down then he couldn't be dead. He just couldn't. There was no one to confirm it and for all he cared, Jason could still be alive. He was strong, he could handle himself. He could have—

“ _Dick_.” Roy called, voice firm and tight and he approached his friend who was barely able to keep himself sane. The redhead settled a hand on his shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze. "He's gone."

“ _No,"_ Dick hissed and shook his head, refusing to believe it. "No he’s not.” He wasn't in denial, he just wasn't and he wasn't optimistic either. He just, he needed a reason to believe or how else—how could he cope with himself?

“I’m sorry but he is,” Roy whispered and closed in to pull him into a hug, comforting him in the way that he knew best. The way that Dick liked to be comforted—by touch and warmth of another.

Dick reflexively fell into the embrace, the energy seeping out of his tense body as he slumped against his friend, buried his face in the crook of his neck. Dick curled his arms under and grabbed fistfuls of the back of Roy's shirt as he clutched on firmly. His breathing was ragged, his mind a mess as he struggled to accept the reality of Jason's death.

"We—" Roy spoke softly against his ear. "Got overrun by the dead as we were leaving the shops. Jason got—he got cut off from us as they swarmed him and we separated. We wanted to—we tried to save him but he disappeared within the blink of an eye so we—" Roy paused for a moment as he breathed, voice a slight tremor as he had difficulty finishing the story. Dick knew that he was torn up as well. Jason was his friend, his best friend and to see his friend go down without doing anything was just—it wasn't right. "I tried to save him, but he was being overtaken and I couldn't—I couldn't do it."

“So you left him?” Dick murmured and blinked away the tears that stung his eyes.

“I…We did,” he answered in shame, admitted to having to abandon a friend.

Dick couldn’t blame them, no way could he ever blame them because it wasn’t their fault. He knew they tried,  _believed_  that they did because Jason was their friend and they loved him as much as Dick did. The dead, those fucking zombies weren’t something one could escape from easily. If they tried to help him they would have risked  _everyone’s_  lives. And in this sort of situation, leaving one behind to save four was better than having them all dead.

“I’m…” Dick spoke faintly as he flinched back, pulled away from Roy and turned his head to the side to avoid his gaze, knew that his eyes were red-rimmed. "I'm going to my room."

"Dick." Roy stopped him and wrapped his fingers around Dick's wrist, held him back to prevent him from leaving. He knew exactly what Dick was about to do and didn't want him to mope about in his vulnerable state. "You shouldn't be alone."

"I want to," Dick argued selfishly.

Roy exhaled loudly, frustrated and brushed a hand through his sweat-filled red hair, was irritated by Dick's stubbornness. "How about I keep you company?"

“Roy—“

“ _Please_ ," he pleaded with a tone filled with desperation, a plea to keep his own sanity as well as Dick's in check.

Dick was reluctant, didn't want to be around others, but once his eyes caught the look of concern plastered on Roy's face, he couldn't help but agree. "Okay," he breathed.

The corner of Roy's lips lifted into a small smile. “Good. How about you help me put some things away?”

Dick nodded his head and followed Roy to the supply room.

\-----

A day had gone by since he received the devastating news and Dick still hadn’t been able to cope with it. Had not accepted the fact that Jason was dead. He hadn’t been able to sleep a wink last night, was tossing and turning as he lay there in their empty bed, missing his warmth and his touch. How Jason would let Dick cuddle with him even though he complained about how it made him hot and sweaty, especially after post-sex and yet did it anyways. How Jason would softly touch him, callous fingers running all over his body, and he loved the feel. How every time he touched him, a warmth would tingle his skin and slowly blossom like a flower.

There was a void in his chest that couldn’t be filled no matter what he did. Couldn't help but notice how empty the bed felt and how cold it was at night. Hadn't realized that Jason had been shielding him from the chill wind, had him pressed and huddled against the wall as Jason slept on the outside. 

Dick tried a number of ways, tried sleeping in the middle or laying a bunch of pillows beside him to pretend that someone was there. But it just wasn't the same. It was still cold and didn't hold the same warmth that Jason offered.

 _God_ , it'd only been a day and it was already driving Dick crazy. He jerked from the bed and tossed the sheets to the side, piling them in a mess as he swung his legs off the edge of the mattress. Dick slipped his boots on and laced them up quickly before he slammed the door and went outside. He was a mess and he knew it. His hair was in tangles and limply hanging in his eyes, blocking part of his vision. His body was warm and hot, burning up and his skin glistened with sweat. 

Dick needed to do something,  _anything_. He couldn't sit still and hide away in the room, so wandered around the camp aimlessly, going wherever his legs carried him. He knew he was being stared at, the people throwing him looks of pity. He didn't need their pity even though he knew they were genuine. But he hated the attention and tried his best to disregard his looks, focused on what was in front of him.

What could he even do in this current situation anyways? Jason, for all he knew, was dead. Probably a zombie among the many. There wasn't anything he could do besides accept the fact. Unless he—

Dick came to a sudden halt when sapphire eyes found something peculiar, something that angered him. Irritation prickled his skin, was begging to be scratched for release. 

Because how could they even do such a thing?

He stalked forward to the object that caught his interest, a temporary tombstone that was carved onto a piece of cut out wood and stuck into the ground. A tombstone that had Jason's named engraved on it. With the heel of his boot, Dick kicked it down. He was furious that they had already written him off even though they didn't confirm that he was dead; though it was obvious, it wasn't something Dick could accept. 

In the first place, how could they just do such a thing without consulting with Dick first?

He huffed out an irritated breath, angry at whoever had done such a thing. Dick was about ready to throw a fit. About to burst his bubble that he'd been holding in from all the accumulated stress.

But he needed to calm down. He exhaled in and out, brought his mind back to a norm as he tried to clear himself of the anger budding within. Once relaxed, Dick bent down and picked up the wooden plank. He stared at it, examined the handwriting and knew exactly that it belonged to Roy because of course Roy would be the one to set up a tomb for Jason in their makeshift graveyard. 

The graveyard was small and something they built for the camp members. There were no bodies actually buried since they didn't have any, so they created mounds of dirt and stuck in wooden nameplates and laid bundles of flowers or weeds as a way to honor the friends that have passed away. 

Dick wasn’t ready to let Jason go yet no matter what others said. He lay the wood across his knee and with sheer force, slammed it down and snapped it in half. He tossed the broken pieces to the ground and stalked away in a fuss. 

If they didn’t see him go down then there was a chance he was alive. If there was that  _one_  chance, Dick was going to take it. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be satisfied with himself if he didn’t confirm with his own eyes that Jason was alive. For all he knew, the man might be hiding somewhere. Worse, he could be one of the dead and if he was, Dick was going to do the honor of putting him down. It was the right thing to do and no matter how it ended, Dick just wanted to confirm it for himself.

\-----

Dick shifted and secured a fully packed bag onto his back. It was filled with supplies: food, water, first-aid kit and extra clothes. Then, he reached for the belt resting on his bed, grabbed it and wrapped it around his waist. A knife was settled in his right holster and a handgun on the left. 

Prepared and ready, he did one last sweep and checked that everything he needed was on his body, had to be set for any type of situation.

Dick made his move and departed at dawn where less people were inclined to see him leaving. He knew that if he was caught, they would force him to stay. His friends would argue that Dick was mentally unstable and was being reckless by going on a suicide mission. Dick was well aware of his actions and even if the chances were low, he would still take it.

He had to try because if he didn't, he would never be satisfied with himself. Couldn't live it down not truly knowing if Jason was alive or not.

Dick ventured to the back walls of their community to avoid being spotted. The front was constantly on watch while they had people filtered through the night, patrolling. He knew the times and routes by heart since he was the one that instigated the idea, so it was easily avoidable.

As carefully and soundless as he could, Dick used his strength and tools to climb over the wall. He successfully made it over and landed on his feet. Once he'd steadied himself and pulled his mind into focus, Dick set off through the woods. The ground was slightly soft from the morning dew, wetting the soles of his boots and made it difficult for smooth running, so he kept his pace slow. He didn't want to be reckless and accidentally injure himself. 

He kept his vision peeled for any sounds or movements and curled his fingers around his knife as he unsheathed it, ready to strike at a moment's notice. As if his mind had been read, one of the dead appeared before him, just a few feet ahead. The thing growled and groaned obnoxiously, flailed its rotted arms at Dick as it bite down on its disgusting teeth. Immediately, Dick swiveled around the decomposed body of walking flesh and bones and drove a knife right into its head. The brains exploded into mush as globs of blood and guts oozed out, the body becoming lifeless, falling to the ground in a thud.

Dick drew in a shaky breath and slapped his face to jolt him into focus. He was outside of the walls and he needed to be on full alert or else, he could die at any second. He was alone and had no one to watch his back, it was him versus the dead and if he wanted to have any chance of finding Jason, he had to tread carefully.

As soundless and swift as he could be, Dick carefully made his way through the dimly lit forest and killed each zombie he spotted in his path. Made sure to keep his awareness at its peak and listened for specific sounds of movement.

He had the route memorized and followed it all the way through, but just in case he got lost, he had a map tucked inside his inner jacket pocket. The hike took Dick about half the day considering he traveled on foot versus a car. He made sure to keep low and hidden, mostly traveled through the woods. It was dangerous in its own right since he was more likely to be caught off guard. However, it was better than being spotted out in the open. 

By the time he had arrived at the designated location the group had left Jason at, he was exhausted beyond his being and wished to take a break. But he couldn't allow himself that as time was ticking, so he continued forth, persevered in hopes of finding his lover.

The building the crew had visited was actually a warehouse that was hidden within the thickened forest, surrounded by trees, bushes and all of nature. Though it wasn't difficult to find as there was a long pathway connecting the place to the main road. Sapphire eyes took in the venue and Dick grimaced at how disgusting it looked. There were heaps of trash and bodies littered around the building floor. Specks of blood and guts staining the cement ground as well as the building walls. 

At least for the most part, the place appeared to be empty. There were no signs of the dead or the living in sight. 

Dick cautiously stepped forward as he examined the area. He noticed that some of dismembered bodies were still fresh, seeing that they were still slightly damp. He surveyed the entire building, ensuring that what was dead remained dead and kicked at every body he walked by. None moved and that gave him a breath of relief. 

Next, he tackled the warehouse and crept up to the windows. None of the glass was broken and implied that the crew had successfully unlocked the door versus actually having to break in. Bright blue eyes attempted to scavenge the inside, but it was too dark to see anything. As a test to see whether anyone or anything was hidden within the warehouse, he knocked on the glass and waited a brief moment. He got no response and tried again and still received nothing. 

Assuming that all was clear, he sucked in a breath and tried to calm his rapidly beating heart before he entered inside. He did a clean sweep of the warehouse and found absolutely nothing. Everything that could have been used was looted and whatever was left was junk.

There also wasn't a single sign or clue of Jason. Not even a body or just— _anything_ of Jason. Anything that could have indicated that the man was here or if he had survived or worse, was dead. 

This wasn't what he was hoping to find and the question of the likelihood of him surviving was dimming. The anxiety budding within his chest continued to flourish and Dick was about to burst. He could feel dread slowly crawling its way in, filling every corner of his body. All he wanted was to find Jason and get relief to know if he was dead or alive or apart of the dead. That was all he wanted and yet, he couldn't even be simply granted that. 

Dick dragged a hand through his hair and sighed, frustrated. If Jason wasn't here then he had to keep looking until he found him. Whatever it took, he was determined to find him. So he continued on and checked nearby establishments in hopes of finding him. He wasn't giving up.

Nightfall was slowly approaching as the sky darkened, the sun just edges away from fading over the trees. The light around him was about to disappear and Dick tried not to panic as he could literally feel his heart about to jump out of his chest. His anxiety was at the height of its peak and he had trouble staying calm. 

Dick needed to find shelter and fast. The dead were more active in the dark and he was at higher risk of getting killed. He needed to find shelter and fast. Swift on his feet, Dick kept forward on the path he'd been following and pulled out his map. He tried to find something close by, a building of some sort that he could hide in to pass the night. There was a church nearby and without a second thought, he headed east towards the building and picked up his pace as the sounds of groaning and restless rustling grew.

As the breadth of the trees dwindled, he could see the church coming into view. It was small and old, a dirty grey. The atmosphere surrounding it seemed eerie and Dick felt a chill crawl down his spine, shivered at the prospect. He prayed that it was empty as this was his only option and he didn't have time to find something else. 

Dick flew up the few flights of stairs and grabbed onto the knob. He twisted it open roughly and breathed a sigh of relief when it clicked open, thankfully it wasn't locked. He quickly got inside and closed the door shut behind him. Leaning against the wall, he exhaled heavily and let a moment of relaxation pass through him before he brought his attention to the inside of the church. Dick narrowed his eyes as he scanned the area, giving it one quick sweep. 

There was nothing inside except for the decorations adorning the church. Not a body or a thing and Dick couldn't have felt anymore solace than he had all day. It was bliss and he could finally take a small break. Dick felt around the door knob for a lock and turned it to the right, securing the door from intruders. He knew it wouldn't prevent people from entering but it would at least keep the dead out. 

But well, maybe he could block the door with the wooden benches that were strewn about the church once he made sure it was all clear. 

Slowly, he kept to one side of the building and trekked through, eyes roaming and absorbing each piece of the puzzle as it formed a complete picture. 

As he had confirmed earlier, the church was empty and the windows—bless the gods—were intact. Not a single one shattered which was good for Dick. It meant there was a low chance of anything crawling its way in. 

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary and most things were intact. It was safe to say that the place was devoid of the living and the dead. That was, until Dick noticed the door located slightly to the side of the altar. A door that he had to search through and hope that no one was inside or worse, was infested with those monsters.

The feeling of dread filled him once again as the beating of his heart fastened. The pit of his stomach tightened and he could feel as if snakes were rattling inside as it squeezed in pain. His hands were trembling and a thick sheen of sweat formed at the edges of his forehead. 

Dick sucked in a nervous breath and dragged a hand through his tousled hair. He was on edge at the thought of there possibly being something or someone in there when he had thought he was in the clear. 

But of course, nothing could ever be safe in the world. Sighing softly under his lips, Dick pulled out his knife in one hand and his handgun in the other, ready to blow the fucker or fuckers head off if they so much as moved at him. 

He took a moment to settle himself, chased away his fear and gain control of his body so that he won't fuck up. He needed to assess the situation before he made a move. He didn't want to accidentally set off an alarm with his gun and attract attention to himself or else, he'd be on the run all night.

Dick curled and uncurled his fingers around his weapons before squeezing down, hard, to make sure they were secured in his hold. He then slowly tip toed towards the door, pressed an ear against it and listened for any sounds. He could hear soft rustling behind the door and almost freaked, but quickly grounded himself. 

He could do this. He could. If it was a zombie, kill it. If it was a person, give it a few seconds and then kill them if they attack. 

Okay. Okay. That was how he was going to go about things. 

Dick tried to regulate his breathing as it was coming in short bursts, synced with his briskly beating heart, but it wasn't working. His fear was at its all-time high, so he said fuck it, and reached for the knob. With his shoulder pressed to the door, he slowly turned the knob and pushed it open just a touch. He peeked inside through the small opening and spotted a speck off fire glowing.

And then he heard movement, sounds of a person or a thing moving as the floorboards creaked, startling him as his entire body froze. Dick held his breath as he lifted his arms and crossed them, gun pointed forward and a knife ready for a counter. He had one chance, just  _one_.

Before he knew it, he kicked the door open and jumped in, ready to explode whoever's brains apart because fuck it all. He wasn't going down until he completed his mission. Worried blue eyes searched frantically for the thing the noise came from, scared and worried out of his mind. But what he found wasn’t exactly what he had expected. 

When his attention fell upon the figure, his arms immediately dropped to his sides as a sense of relief filled him. This wasn't—he couldn't believe his luck. All the anxiety and fear within him disappeared like it was never there before as warmth replaced those emotions. The corner of his eyes stung with tears as the tiny droplets slipped down and trailed down his cheeks.

"Ja—" His words were caught in his throat as he tried to say the one name that'd been on the back of his mind. His lips quivered as he tried to speak again, but couldn't. Couldn't gather his emotions, his thoughts into a single coherent word, was too shocked beyond relief.

Turquoise eyes fell upon Dick, staring at him briefly before a look of surprise spread across his face. "Wha—? Dick?” The man murmured, his jaw falling open as he just gawked at Dick. 

And that moment, as that lovely voice filtered into his ears, was the moment that he was able to find his own. 

"Jason," he breathed breathlessly, felt the energy sap out of his body as his hands grew limp, the weapons slipping from his fingers and dropped to the ground. Dick stumbled forward, his legs weak and unstable and collapsed in front of Jason as he cried. 

 “I can’t—oh god.” He sobbed, choked on his tears. 

The man, his lover, was a complete and total mess and he—he needed help,  _immediately_  and then oh—god, Dick was having a moment of freak out when he finally noticed how distressed Jason looked.

Jason was covered in dirt, sweat and blood. His outfit was splotched with dark and light reds and Dick couldn't tell whether they were his blood or not. The man was resting against the edge of the bed, seated on the ground as he had his back leaned to the mattress. Legs were laid flat, spread wide with hands resting in his lap.

Bruises sprinkled throughout his body, on his arms and neck, an ugly swirl of purple and brown. His cheeks were stained as well, signs of abuse evident as the colors on his face were vibrant. They started at the edge of his jaw and slowly spread, working its way up to the corner of his mouth.

Dick tried to find other signs of injuries, at least from what was clear to him. His outfit was shredded, had cuts and tears in them, like someone had taken a knife and attempted to slash him. He squinted as he examined the cuts, could see parts of his skin had been nicked. 

Jason looked like he'd been at war and whatever it was, Dick didn't know and he would remember to ask once he confirmed that he wasn't—that he was okay. 

Because Jason's complexion was awful. He was pale and sweating, a thick sheen covering his forehead. His brows were pressed into a tight line and his lips were chapped. He looked like he was in pain and Dick feared for the worst. Those blue-green eyes of his were slightly unfocused and he seemed dazed, almost like—oh fuck—this look.  _It couldn’t be_. 

“Jason…you’re—“ he couldn’t form the words, found them caught in his throat as he sucked in a breath, struggled to breath properly. This was the  _one thing_  he didn’t want to happen. “…you’re not bit... _are you_?”

To his relief, Jason shook his head. “No, just—“ he groaned as he twisted, reached a hand up to cup Dick’s cheek. “In pain.” 

“Jay…” Dick whispered and covered his hand with his own, curled into his touch; missed it so much. “Are you sure?” He had to confirm just in case. He had to.

And Jason scoffed, rolled his eyes in disbelief. “Yeah,  _positive_. You can—ugh,” he cried as he collapsed against Dick, leaned his limp body against his lover. “Check if you want.” 

Dick wasn’t amused at his joke because he definitely did not need it right at this moment. “I believe you.” Dick said and he did. There was no way Jason wouldn’t have known he was bitten or not. “I’m just…glad you’re okay. For the most part,” he breathed and felt the stiffness in his shoulders leave as they slumped. He shifted on his legs, made himself comfortable as he supported Jason’s weight, held him tight in his arms, _well_ , as close as he could without agitating whatever injuries he sustained.

“What happened?” Dick murmured and lifted his head, cupped his cheeks in his hands as he pressed their lips together, longed for this. 

“ _Shit_.” He cursed, startling Dick but then broke out into a pleased hum as a smile filtered to his lips, the corners curving up just slightly as he kissed him again. “Did they tell you what happened?” 

“Only that you were swarmed and they thought you were dead.” Dick whispered, leaned forward and brought their foreheads together. 

“They weren’t wrong. I was and I swear, I thought I would die. I was backed up against the building, a hoard just surrounding me with no way out,” Jason paused to take a breather, was struggling to breath as he spoke and Dick sort of felt bad with how much he was making him talk. Jason was wheezing heavily, his chest rising and falling dramatically as he screwed his eyes shut, tried to will the pain away. 

Dick tenderly swiped a thumb underneath his eye, saw how dark and sunken his bags were and how the corner of his eyes were slightly bloodshot. “You don’t have to tell me now,” Dick said, just wanted him to rest. "Let me tend to your injuries," he offered, was about to dig into his backpack full of supplies. 

“Ugh, I can—don’t worry, I can finish it.” Jason said, cleared his throat and tilted back to create some space between them. “I almost gave up but your face flashed before my eyes and…I couldn’t. So I fought back. Smashed those fuckers and created a gap, big enough for me to escape.” 

Dick blinked at him, a bit surprised at his escape and enraptured by the meaning behind those words. “So you got out?” 

“I did.” Jason nodded lazily in confirmation.

“How’d you get injured then?” Dick quirked a brow, curious about that aspect. If he was able to escape, why did he not make his way back to camp? 

“I—“ Jason sighed, exasperated and chewed on his bottom lip, struggling to meet Dick’s gaze. “You don’t want to know.” 

Dick didn’t get it and pressed. “Why?” When Jason didn't say anything, he leaned forward and pressed a thumb to his dried lips, trailing it across the plump flesh and caught him in a deep gaze, reassuring him that whatever it was, it was fine. "You can tell me."

Jason sighed heavily, shifted a little and propped his side against the edge of the bed for support. He seemed reluctant to say, so Dick grabbed his hand and threaded their fingers together to give him support. Jason smiled softly and lifted his hand to kiss his fingers. “On my way back, I ran into a group.”

“ _Oh._ ” The story was slowly coming together now, weaving into a complete picture. It made so much sense as to how he had sustained those bruises and why the blood seemed awfully fresh. They didn't look like they belonged to the dead, nor did it smell awfully terrible. Not to mention, that would also explain the knife cuts on his clothes because Dick knew full well that zombies weren't capable of wielding a knife or a sharp object for that matter. All they could do was bite, claw, grab and pull. 

Jason clicked his tongue in annoyance. “Yeah. I was unfortunately cornered and they wanted information from me, so I fought back and…I killed them.” The tone of his voice changed when he said the last few words, a sense of disappointment filtering in. 

“Jay—“ Dick started but was cut off. 

“I know,  _I know_. I shouldn’t have, but I had to or they would kill me.” 

Dick gazed at him straight in the eyes, could see the remorse clear on his face. His reasoning was understandable and in this type of world, in order to survive, they had to do things that were fathomable. Actions that went against their moral code, but he couldn't be mad. In other circumstances he might have been furious, but this?  _No._  He was nothing  _but_  thankful. 

If Jason hadn’t done what he did, he’d be dead and Dick would have been devastated.  

“Its fine,” Dick murmured, smiled faintly as he moved to close the distance between them again. “I’m not mad or disappointed. I’m just glad you’re alive and well,” Dick drew in a shaky breath and whimpered, felt himself on the verge of tears once again.  The past few days had been torturous and that desolation he felt? He never wanted to experience it ever again. 

As ease settled within Dick, he felt relaxed knowing that Jason was alive, here with him and in his arms.   

“I couldn’t imagine a life without you,” Dick whispered, squeezed his hand tight. Those two nights alone in bed were enough for him and he didn’t want to even think about what the future would be like if he didn’t find Jason. “It was so lonely,” Dick choked out a sob as the tears flowed once more. “ _I missed you_.” He sniffled and  _god_ , this was getting pathetic. 

Jason chuckled, amused as a small smile graced his lips. It was fond and warm and even though he was grinning, there was a slight wetness in his eyes. "I missed you too."

If it was under any other circumstances, those words wouldn’t have meant much to them. But their lives were in constant danger so it was important that they expressed themselves whenever they could as every second could be their last.

Dick pressed a hand to Jason's shoulders, slowly gliding up as he brushed his hair before settling a hand behind his neck. He dipped in and stole his lips, kissed him soft and sweet, full of desperation as salty tears mingled into their taste. 

“ _We’re going home_ ," he whispered and earned a soft smile from Jason as he seized his lips again, pulling Dick onto his lap as he hissed in pain.

“ _Yeah_.”


End file.
